Small mind,
Big mind.
A basic Buddhist foundation.
Thoughts in the mind are like waves in the ocean.
You can never fully stop them from arising.
Explained Zen master Shinryu Suzuki Roshi.
When you practice meditation,
Do not try to stop your thinking.
Let it stop by itself.
If something comes into your mind,
Let it come in and let it go out.
It will not stay long.
When you try to stop your thinking,
It means you are bothered by it.
Do not be bothered by anything.
It appears as if something comes from outside your mind,
But actually it is only the waves of your mind.
And if you are not bothered by the waves,
Gradually they will become calmer and calmer.
In 5 or 10 minutes your mind will be completely serene and calm.
At that time your breathing will become quite slow,
While your pulse will become a little faster.
It will take quite a long time before you find your calm,
Your serene mind in your practice.
Many sensations come,
Many thoughts or images arise,
But they are just waves of your mind.
In reality,
Nothing comes from outside your mind.
Usually we think of our mind as receiving impressions and experiences from outside,
But that is not a true understanding.
The truth is that the mind includes everything.
When you think something comes from outside,
It means only that something appears on the inside.
Nothing outside yourself can cause you any trouble.
It is you that makes the waves.
If you leave your mind as it is,
It will become calm.
This mind is called the big mind.
If your mind is related to something outside itself,
That mind is a small mind,
A limited mind.
If your mind is not related to anything else,
Then there is no dualistic understanding in the activity of your mind.
You understand activity are just waves.
The big mind experiences everything within itself.
So do you understand the difference?
The mind which includes everything and the mind which is related to something.
Actually they are completely the same thing,
But the understanding is different and your attitude towards your life will be different according to which understanding you have.
That everything is included within your mind is the essence.
To experience this is to have a religious or spiritual feeling.
Even though waves arise,
The essence of your mind remains pure.
It is like clear water with a few waves.
Water always has waves.
Waves are the water's practice.
To speak of waves apart from water or water apart from waves is a delusion.
Water and wave are one.
Big mind and small mind are one.
When you understand your mind in this way,
You have some security in your feeling.
As your mind does not expect anything from the outside,
It is always filled.
A mind with waves in it is not a disturbed mind,
But an amplified one.
Whatever you experience is the big mind.
The activity of big mind is to amplify itself to various experiences.
In one sense our experiences come one by one.
They are always fresh and new.
But in another sense they are nothing but a continuous or repeated unfolding of the big mind.
For instance,
If you have something good for breakfast,
You will say,
This is good.
This good is supplied as something experienced some time long ago,
Even though you may not remember when.
With big mind we accept each of our experiences as if recognizing the face we see in a mirror as our own.
For us there is no fear of losing this mind.
There is nowhere to come or to go.
There is no fear of death,
Of dying from old age or sickness,
Because we enjoy all aspects of life as an unfolding of the big mind,
Not looking for any external excessive joy.
So we have a steady composure,
And with the steady composure of the big mind,
Our practice is meditation.
Shunryu Suzuki Roshi was a Zen monk and teacher who helped popularize Zen Buddhism in the United States.
He is renowned for founding the first Buddhist monastery outside of Asia,
Tassajara Zen Mountain Center,
And founding the San Francisco Zen Center.
A book of his teachings,
Zen Mind,
Beginner's Mind,
Is one of the most classic and popular books of Zen and Buddhism in the West.
